Cosplay just isn’t any fun without a wig. Don’t be afraid to go bold.
Anime characters are known for their brightly-colored hair.
When you choose a color, think about the character you’re
creating. Young or sweet characters have pastel-colored hair, while
anime villains have darker colors. For an even more authentic effect,
match your with to your contacts. Get your hair wig ready before you put
on your makeup. Tie it back tight and clip your wig cap in place.

#2
Anime Girls

Girls who put on anime makeup are called anime girls. Anime is a style
of drawing. Anime characters are most recognizable by their big eyes.

The
style is so popular that people have begun to mimic it. How do they get
these animated looks? With makeup. It looks a lot like Photoshop. But
no digital retouching was involved in making these anime makeup
transformations.

#3
Flawless Skin

The key to an anime look is flawless skin. After all, drawings don’t
have pores. Anime girls start with a heavy layer of liquid foundation.
The color isn’t important--anime girls come in all shades.

They
follow the heavy liquid coverage with powder coverage. Again, more is
better. Think of it as creating a new canvas on top of your old one.
When your skin is as smooth as porcelain like Destiny Godley’s here, you
look like someone drew you.

#4
Big Eyes

The key to a great anime makeup transformation is the eyes. Making them anime-big requires a lot of white eye pencil.

Create
a thick white line under your eyes to make them look bigger. Continue
the line roughly one quarter of the way up your top lid from the inside
corner. This will make your eyes look wider. Use black eye shadow for
the rest of your top lid to create a wing. Line your bottom lids below
the white line.

#5
Color Contacts

Color contacts are optional, but a pair of purple eyes certainly is
striking. Feel free to have fun with color. The best way to look for
eccentric shades is online. Pink, purple, light blue and green are all
great anime colors.

There are even lenses designed to make your
irises larger, just like an anime character’s. If you like to cosplay a
lot, buy several pairs. You can change your characters around the color
of your eyes.

#6
Fake Eyelashes

No anime girl is complete without a thick set of lashes, mascara just won’t cut it. Find a thick, long pair of lashes. Don’t forget to buy glue. Then stick them on. The instructions are on the lashes if this is your first time.

Now
glue on a pair of thinner lower lashes. These go on the top edge of the
black line you created underneath the white line. And remember, makeup
first. Otherwise, you’ll knock the lashes off as you apply it.

#7
Bigger Eyes

You don’t always have to take anime makeup seriously. The best way to
get larger-than-life anime eyes is to draw them from scratch. Some girls
close their eyes and paint new ones on top using liquid makeup. It’s not hard if you can draw.

Then
they glue false eyelashes on the top lids of their fake eyes. Another
pair gets glued to the lids of their real eyes. Closed, painted and
lashed, your eyes have a shockingly-real anime look. You can’t see where
you’re going, but that’s really not the point.

#8
Apple Cheeks

Want to create an innocent-looking anime character? Go heavy on the
blush. Choose a light shade of pink. Then apply it liberally over the
apples of your cheeks. Don’t know where the apples are? Smile. This will
make your apples stand out.

Keep smiling as you give them an anime-pink glow with your makeup brush.

#9
Teeny Tiny Lips

Anime characters have tiny mouths. If you have a human-sized mouth, you can create a smaller one.

Start
with a lip liner in the color of your choice. The lighter the lipstick,
the more innocent the anime character. Then draw a rounded set of lips
on your own lips. Blend the rest of your real lips into your foundation.
Your mouth will look small and pouty.

#10
A V-Shaped Jaw

Anime characters are drawn with v-shaped jaws. If your jaw doesn’t make a
“v”, you can contour one. Use the same dark brown eye shadow that you
used for your nose. But this time use a large face brush. Now take a good look at your chin in the mirror.

Wherever
it deviates from the “v” shape, contour it out with the dark eye
shadow. Check your progress periodically. Don’t go too dark or you’ll
create a beard.

#11
The Nose

Anime girls contour their noses with dark eye shadow. A slim, shaped
nose is one of the keys to making your face look painted on. It can be
the difference between a jaw-dropping anime look and a so-so one.

Choose
a shade of brown eye shadow (at least two shades darker than your
foundation). Apply it with a medium-sized makeup brush. Contour beneath
your eyebrow (starting in the middle) and down the size of your nose.
Repeat on the other side. The dark contouring will highlight the thin
bridge of your nose for a slender anime look.

#12
The Costume

Makeup is the most important part of an anime look. The best way to finish it off is with a costume. Some girls save their anime makeup skills for cosplay. But you don’t have to mimic your favorite character.

With
the right clothes, you can make a whole new one. A lot of girls head to
thrift stores for vintage finds. Some make their pieces from scratch.
When you find the perfect look, celebrate it with a photo shoot.

#13
Getting Out There

Anime looks aren’t just for photo sessions. They’re great for
conventions, your makeup can take a great costume to the next level. Be
prepared to get asked for lots of photos. And keep your makeup with you.
You’ll need touchups throughout the day. Smudged or worn off makeup
will take away from the effect. Just do a little Googling online and
you’re sure to find an anime convention near you.

#14
Anastasiya Shpagina

This is Anastasiya Shpagina. She's one of the most famous anime girls on
the web. Anastasiya is 20 and from the Ukraine. But she's adopted the
Japanese name Fukkacumi (we would too if our last name rhymed with
vagina).

She spends hours every day transforming her face. And
she's got serious makeup skills. Google her and you'll find several of
her makeup tutorials floating around the web. She even has a YouTube
channel that guides you to her look brush stroke by brush stroke.

#15
Taking It Too Far

Anime makeup is a fun hobby. But some women take it too far. Like,
surgery too far. Famous anime girl Anastasiya Shpagina has said she’s
considering getting her eyes permanently widened.

Some girls get
their jaws shaved down into a V Shape. And nose jobs are certainly
nothing new. Cosplay is fun but it doesn’t have to involve surgery. A
makeup transformation will more than do the job.